Monday, December 24, 2012

For some reason , ever sinceI started browsing newspapers, I amspontaneously drawn to the obituary column , which reminds me of theimminent mortalityofall life on this earth. It was a rude shockyesterday to learn about the sad
demise ofProf . Madan Sharma , who for
many years taught Mathematicsinthe R.P.C.S.D.B. College , Shimla , a privately
managed institution, which later on wastaken over by theGovernmentand rechristened asRajkiyaKanya Maha Vidyalaya or RKMV- meant exclusively for Girls. However it
wasstill the RPCSDB College , co-ed ,
when I studied therein the early
seventies . Prof. Madan Sharma or M.L.Sharmaas he wasknown, was a
Mathematics teacher, always immaculately dressed , smart and handsome. He could
be seen moving from one classroom to the othercarryingthe attendanceRegisterlike a platter , on which were placed the duster and thebox
containing chalk . Friends , who studied maths from himwere all enamoured of himfor not only
his style of teaching but also for his general demeanour- the way he carried
himself .A bachelor, he was an accomplished ice skaterandit
was said thathe had proxied for some
film star in the skating sceneon some
occasion. Well versed in English, Hindi & Punjabi , he also dabbled in
poetry in all the three languages and was a regular contributor to the college
magazine – Padma . He was regularly seen on the Mallas he also lived nearby . Age did not wither
him a bit and his zest for life was immense- his hair and moustaches always dyed jet-blacktill recently.

R.I.P Prof Sharma , it
would not be easy to forget you for
those who had the privilegeof being taught by you or knowing
you !

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Monkeys are known to be
predators, pranksters and thanksto
Darwin’s theory of evolution ,our forefatherstoo .Looking at monkeys, we human beings consciously or otherwisetry to trace our origin to them , from
theirbehaviour pattern and movements. They
are an interesting topic of study. Many years ago I read anaccount by Rudyard Kipling- Monkeys at Shimla
– with added interest asa Shimlaite
.Later , I spentmany years asa resident ofJakhu Hills ,a natural abode of monkeys at Shimla .The monkeys
at Shimla are a permanent nuisanceand
it is difficult for the residents to carry eatablesopenlywithout inviting trouble for themselves. I for one have always been in awe
ofmonkeys as in case one of the simians
digs its teeth into your flesh, you have to undergo aregular course of treatment by vaccination.

With this thing in my mind , I always carried
eatableseither in a zipped up bag or
even inside an umbrella. And the best way is to pass by without looking at them
. The place in Shimla where I live now can easily be called second abode of
monkeys but they are a gentler lotthan
the ones that we come across on the Malland at or near Jakhu and live in
harmony withhuman beings . They never
seem to be in an attacking moodand
never tinker or mess with things lying outside. I come acrossa number of them dailyon my way to and from home and just bending a bit toact as if to carry a small pebble scares them
away. Of course, when face to face with an army of monkeys, I recite Hanuman Chalisa mentally , seeking monkey god’s help .